When Cowlaboration #8 dropped last December, Luke Shimp could only smile.The owner of Red Cow, a four-unit, Minneapolis-based chain, Shimp knew the company’s latest collaboration with a local brewery—a ruby-red cranberry sour developed with nearby Indeed Brewing Company—represented the continuation of an innovative endeavor that has propelled Red Cow’s marketplace standing and performance.

A special meeting of shareholders appears to have ended the proposed merger of J. Alexander’s and Ninety Nine Restaurant & Pub. Shareholders voted down the deal, the company announced Thursday, saying it “expects that the merger agreement will be terminated.

Private-equity firm Sentinel Capital Partners announced Thursday it has sold Huddle House, Inc., the leading franchisor of the 54-year-old family-dining chain, to Elysium Management. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The second quarter was meaningful for Brinker International on a variety of fronts. But for the parent company of Chili’s and Maggiano’s Little Italy, one topic trumped the others: It was the first full period in Chili’s self-described “turnaround strategy.

Brinker International saw its business track upward in the second quarter, perhaps providing early proof that recent traffic-driving initiatives are paying dividends. On a per-share basis, the parent company of Chili’s and Maggiano’s Little Italy posted profit of 54 cents, or net income of 25.

Trinity Capital, a Los Angeles-based investment banking advisory firm, announced the completion of over 25 transactions in 2017. Transactions included sell-side and buy-side mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and recapitalizations of restaurant and foodservice companies nationwide.

The chicken wing is poised for a big payday in Super Bowl LII. The National Chicken Council released its annual Chicken Wing Report Thursday, and it appears, against all odds, that 2018 is going to be the tailgating staple’s best yet.

Almanac, a $30 million investment vehicle, announced its investments in Nona Lim, a line of Asian-inspired heat-and-sip soup cups, bone broths, and noodles; Pilotworks, an operator of culinary incubators across the United States; and BlueCart, a wholesale order management platform for buyers and sellers in the hospitality industry.

The restaurant industry received a jolt of good news in the fourth quarter. Same-store sales increased 0.4 percent, marking the first quarter of growth in the last two years, according to TDn2K’s The Restaurant Industry Snapshot.

When it comes to financing restaurants, Dan Bavaro has traveled the meandering, choppy path of so many entrepreneurs, chefs, and restaurateurs before him.For his first Bavaro’s Pizza Napoletana & Pastaria in Tampa, Florida, Bavaro relied on money earned through the sale of his New Jersey–based transportation business.

Dave & Buster’s expected its sales to improve during December, a typically strong season for the eat-and-play brand. The opposite happened. In response, Dave & Buster’s lowered its fiscal 2017 guidance, and Wall Street hammered the 105-unit chain because of it.

Michigan-based Buddy’s Pizza received a significant investment from CapitalSpring, the company announced Wednesday. The private-equity firm, which is focused exclusively on the restaurant industry and has worked with brands like Taco Bell and Denny’s, said the partnership will recapitalize the company and accelerate new store growth across the Midwest and beyond.